


The Bluest Blue

by lazomness



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Asexual Pidge | Katie Holt, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Drinking, Fluff, Gay Keith (Voltron), M/M, Mutual Pining, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Texting, all titles are doctor who references, and a dog because that's canon now, hangover amnesia, i gave keith some friends because we're not in this world to suffer, just because, random pop culture references, they all nerds, they are all above 18yo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-06-08 14:13:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15245148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lazomness/pseuds/lazomness
Summary: First week of college. Going to that party looks like a terrible idea to him, but Pidge will not stop going on about it, so he apparently has no chance.He may or may not have met that night the most handsome boy with the bluest eyes he had ever seen in his entire life, but unfortunatelly he won't remmember almost anything about it. Damn, he should have given him his phone number. Because he didn't... did he?A lot of texting. A bit of drinking. Maybe both at the same time.





	1. Pond

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some clarifications for the chat:
> 
> Keith: plain text  
> Pidge: underlined

It was the day before his first day of college. Altean University wasn’t the most prestigious college around the country, but it’s the best one he could find and afford without falling into debt for the next hundred years. Besides, it was only four hours by train from his current house. And from his mom’s.

 

He had been in touch with her for only the past two years, when she was finally able to contact him after all that time. It was weird at first, given the fact that he was used to be either alone or to live with people who didn’t really care about him (the feeling was mutual), so having one person looking after him and truly caring for him was something new. Although they weren’t living together, he got kinda used to have her around.

 

He never really felt like belonging at any of the places he had lived before, so putting things in perspective, the past two years weren’t that bad. They were kinda good actually. For the first time in his life, he got something that could resemble a family.

 

“Family”, he smiles, “big word”.

 

He had packed all his things – the relevant tones – in a big suitcase and a box that his mom would send the following week to his new address, but there was one little thing that was going to complicate the task a little bit.

 

Krolia did not like the idea of him taking the dog to college, but Keith’s decision was immovable:

 

“The dog comes with me”, was the first thing he said the moment he knew he was going to move out.

 

“Are you sure, son? A dog is a lot of responsibility. You know I’ll willingly take care of her while you’re out”, she starts, “Besides, you’ll have to take her for walks, you have to buy her food… having a dog it’s time and money-consuming. You’ll be living only a few hours from here, you can come to visit anytime and…”

 

“Yeah, I know, but…”, he paused for a few seconds, “you know I’m not that good at bonding with other people, and I love her more than anything else. I know she’ll be happy with you, but I can’t just leave her here”, Keith states, hoping his mom to giving up on the subject. “Pond comes with me”.

 

Kroila smiled with a gentle nod and said no more. She had no chance of winning this one.

Pond was a stray dog he had found near his house almost a couple of years ago. She looked like a mix between a husky and a samoyed, but he couldn’t know for sure. She was the personification of the fluff, her hair was between white and different shades of gray, although there were some parts that looked almost bluish depending on the light. The eyes were dark blue. An impossible tone of blue to belong to the eyes of a dog, and yet, there it was.

 

He was ready to take that train and start a new stage in his life. He kept repeating to himself that everything was going to be alright, that this is what he wanted and that there were no steps back.

 

“Here we go” he whispered to himself after saying goodbye to his mother.

 

_________________________

 

 

Lance had just arrived to the new apartment (new for him, it was  _obviously_  not new) he was going to share for the next months – hopefully years - with one of his best and long lasting friends, and with a third person that answered to their online ad. The place was not luxurious or too expensive, but given their economy, it would be better if they shared the expenses with one more person.

 

He found Hunk, who arrived the day before, at the kitchen (one of Lance’s favorite places, especially when Hunk is in there) facing the stoves. He could see the small bow of an apron tied on his back, a signal that always indicated that something great was happening on the other side of the man.

 

“Hey buddy! How’s doing the most wonderful person in the world, which happens to be my friend?", said Lance entering the room with a little dance of joy.

 

“Hey Lance! You are in a good mood, aren’t you?”, asked Hunk, turning the head around to see his friend, without neglecting the cooking.

“What are you cooking there?”, sounded out Lance trying to stick his nose over Hunk’s shoulder, “It smells like Heaven, with a little bit of garlic”.

 

“Yeah, it’s basically that”, he said with a laugh.

 

“So… have you meet our new roommate yet? What was her name again… Kate?”

 

“Yeah, it said Katie on their profile I think. They didn’t arrive yet but I’m pretty sure they’re coming today…”

 

The doorbell rang.

 

“Oh, that might be them. Just in time for dinner. Can you go open the door, Lance? I’m kind of busy here”

 

“Yes, yes! Sorry… I’m coming~~~!!”, he said, moving towards the front door.

 

Lance opened the door and greeted his new roommate.

 

“You must be Katie! Welcome to our modest but friendly place! I’m Lance, and I’ll be your guide”, he smiles wide open.

 

“Hi Lance, you can call me Pidge. Nice to meet you”

 

“Ok, Pidge it is. Let me help you with your stuff”. They went into the house with all their bags, “let’s put them here next to mine and go say hi to Hunk”.

 

“Sure”.

 

Hunk was already washing his hands to meet his new soon-to-be-friend.

 

“Hunk, this is Pidge, our new roommate. Pidge, this is Hunk. He’s the most adorable, loyal, good-cooker and good-huger friend you’ll ever have”. Hunk blushes a bit, but  _hey_ , he’s not going to deny it.

 

“From the little bit I can see – and smell – I already know that at least two of those things are true. I’m not much into hugging tho, so we’ll see about that” they share a friendly grin.

 

“Ohhhhh, it’ll worth it, trust me”, said Lance happily with a wink.

 

“Why don’t you guys go get your stuff organized while I set the table here?”

 

“Hunk, if you’re going to be like this every day, I going to have to propose you so nobody else steals you from me”. Pidge glances at them, enjoying the scene from the corner of the kitchen.

 

“Hahaha, yeah man, whatever. Don’t get too used to it”. (Spoilers ahead: they totally got used to it)

 

“C’mon Lance, weren’t you gonna be my guide?”, they were started to get impatient to get to their room after the trip.

 

“Yes, sorry Pidge. I’ll show you your room. Follow me!”

 

The apartment was nothing from another world but it looked warm and inviting. On the low level, there was the kitchen (kinda small), a little bathroom intended for Pidge to use, and the living room, which was the largest room in the house, where they were going to spend most of the time. They had there all kind of technology needed for this day and time, but the decoration and the furniture was a little “granny style” – Lance’s words – all made of quality wood and a couch molded for the hundreds of butts that sat there the last fifty years. Needless to say, there was no comfier couch in the whole country.

 

The wooden stairs were “from the 18th century at least” – also Lance’s words – and they were the most bombastic thing in the house. They looked ancient – although not 300 years old – with a banister that seemed to be handmade by someone obviously too passionate about rococo. Some of the steps made a creaky sound when you step on them, nothing too annoying during the day, but noticeable enough to start several arguments during the night.

 

They ended up inventing a system with colored stickers: red means “totally forbidden at night under death thread – signed: Pidge”, amber means “you can step in from 10:00 am to 01:00 am, but you better try to avoid it if I’m napping”, and the green sticker was the signal for “noise-free steps, Pidge promised not to kill you if you only walk on these ones”.

 

Lance and Pidge reached the first floor, carrying all their stuff. There were three rooms, one for each one, and another bathroom shared by the two boys. First and second on the left were for Hunk and Pidge respectively, and the first on the right was Lance’s.

 

They did not spend much time unpacking. Lance opened some of the bags with clothes and cosmetics, and Pidge basically threw the baggage on the floor and opened their laptop. They were about to ask for the Wi-Fi password when a voice came from the kitchen.

 

“Dinner’s ready guys!” The three words everybody wants to hear.

 

_________________________

 

 

Keith had to put Pond in a travel box for the trip, which was easier to say than to do. After they exited the station, he let her free, and she immediately entered in that kind of happy state that is only possible if you are a dog.

 

He went by foot to his newly rented house, allowing Pond (and his legs) to enjoy some fresh air and non-restricted space. Keith was not really looking at his surroundings, mostly lost in his thoughts and checking google maps now and then to ensure that he didn’t got lost. When he was trying to figure out what street he had to take, his phone buzzes.

 

(TimePidgeon)

how was the trip?

wasn't she too stressed in there?

 

(TimeNerd)

Not really, she behaved unexpectedly good

Many people wanted to pet her, so we had no time to get bored

 

(TimePidgeon)

awesome

 

(Time Nerd)

So, did you meet your new roommates?

 

(TimePidgeon)

yeah, they seem kinda cool actually

one of them is apparently the best chef in the world and he made us dinner

i already love him

 

(TimeNerd)

Lucky you

And the other one?

 

(TimePidgeon)

he's nice too so far

i dint interact with them that much, but in hunk’s words:

“he’s a little bit overdramatic, he complains a lot, one of his favorites things in the world is being the center of it and you’ll probably have the urge to kill him several times a day, but somehow you’ll learn to love him”

 

(TimeNerd)

Lol

Sounds like a good catch

 

(TimePidgeon)

yeah, maybe for you ;)

 

(TimeNerd)

Shut up

 

(TimePidgeon)

make me B)

 

Keith shakes his head with a smirk, trying to come up with a clever reply for his friend, but they let him no time.

 

(TimePidgeon)

what about you?

you met with shiro yet?

 

(TimeNerd)

Almost

He told me he’ll be home by now

I’ll get there in 10 min if I don’t get lost

 

(TimePidgeon)

it sounds like you already got lost

 

(TimeNerd)

…

Maybe

It was Pond’s fault, she was chasing a butterfly!

The thing is

I’m almost home

 

(TimePidgeon)

great

 

 

(TimePidgeon)

sooo… i gotta go now, i think they’re whatching some lame tv show that want to share with me

btw, they were talking about a party later this week

apparently its some sort of tradition to welcome the new students

well, that is the excuse, they’re just want to get wasted

but still

 

(TimeNerd)

I don’t know Pidge

You know I’m not the party kind

 

(TimePidgeon)

i knoooow

but its your first year hereeee

you have to do some bonding

you’re not going to spend the hole year locked in your room young boy

 

(TimeNerd)

*whining noises*

*pouty face*

 

(TimePidgeon)

that doesn’t work over the phone

youre gonna go to this party with me

 

(TimeNerd)

I’ll think about it

Maybe I’ll show up to say hi and then leave to embrace my antisocialness again

 

(TimePidgeon)

not good enough

but it’s a progress

we’ll work on it

 

(TimeNerd)

If you say so

Do you think we could meet this week sometime?

 

(TimePidgeon)

i don’t know i have a ton of classes starting tomorrow

maybe friday…

i heard there was a party…

 

(TimeNerd)

Piiiiiiidge

 

(TimePidgeon)

ok ok, i let you know if i have some free time before the weekend

but im not promising anything

 

(TimeNerd)

That’s better :)

 

(TimePidgeon)

i really gotta go now

tell shiro i said hi

later

 

(TimeNerd)

I will

Bye

 

"Come here, Pond! I think we're finally here". The dog run towards Keith with a happy face and a wiggling tail, soooo ready for the pets she was going to receive. They were standing in front of a house, playing around for a while before notifying their arrival.

The door opened without the need to ring the bell, and he saw his old friend standing at the doorstep with a smile.

 

“Keith! You’re here!”

 

“Hi Shiro! Yeah, we’ve just arrived”

 

“I’m glad to see you again”

 

“Me too, long time since we last met. Let me introduce you to Pond! C’mon girl, say hi to him”, Pond obediently offered the right paw “she already likes you”

 

“Alright, alright, let’s get inside” said Shiro, patting her head with care, “she’s going to have so much fun at the backyard”. He totally spent like 30 dollars at the pet store only in dog toys.

 

“That’s for sure”

 

Keith went into the house after Shiro and Pond, ready to start a new year in college, with dreams and hopes and a little bit of excitement (even though he likes to deny it). He will even consider going to that damn party. Maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, here it is the first chapter.
> 
> To be continued... with the party night ;)
> 
> I hope you like it!
> 
> Any comment, suggestion or correction will be welcome ^_^


	2. Always bring a banana to a party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you there was a party, but the best things happen at unexpected places ;)  
> I promise the klance begins in this chapter!
> 
> [For those who don't watch the show, the banana thing is a Doctor Who reference]
> 
> Here's some clarifications for the chat:  
> Keith: plain text  
> Pidge: underlined

“Hey Lance! You are coming tomorrow, right?”- asked Pidge from the couch, raising his eyes above the laptop.

 

“I don’t know how yet, but I’ll make it”, said Lance from the living room’s table. The living room large; it had two couches, one big TV (the newest item in the whole house) placed above a modest piece of furniture, a wooden table that could be from a nineteenth-century set film, six chairs around it that matched the look and one strange piece of furniture at the corner that they thought it could be some sort of antique desk.

 

Even though the table was big enough to comfortably accommodate six people for a classy dinner, Lance’s papers were covering almost the entirety of the surface now. He had stayed there all afternoon, reading notes from class, resolving problems -trying at least-, huffing and sobbing in equal parts. First week of semester was being hard for Lance, Pidge could say that.

 

While Pidge were in their freshman year, Lance and Hunk were already junior students, and the things were getting complicated. Lance decided it was enough for the day, closed the book he was reading and took a sit next to Pidge on the couch.

 

“Tomorrow I’ll be busy all afternoon because of this Lotor dude conference that I can’t skip”, he said, resuming the conversation and pouting a little, “I think I could go there directly from the assembly hall to the party. I hope I don’t get too excited - _with the alcohol-_ too soon like that time… that was not… pleasant to whatch”, his eyes looking up like he was recalling memories.

 

“I don’t even want to ask”, Pidge said after a moment, bringing Lance back from wherever he was.

 

“Anyhow, everybody will be there; it’s going to be awesome! ” he exclaimed, with excitement in his eyes.

 

“Yeah, right? I’m trying to convince a friend of mine to join us, but he’s such a stubborn”

 

“You have more friends?? I’m feeling betrayed, Pidge” performed with dramatic intonation.

 

“I know Hunk can cover almost all my needs here, but sometimes I have to talk with people outside this house”

 

“I’m going to ignore that because I love Hunk, because you pay rent, and because it is damn true, but I’m letting you know that I’m hurt”

 

“I think I could survive”, snapped Pidge, focusing again in their computer.

 

 

 

\-----------------------

 

 

(TimePidgeon)

waddup keithy

 

(TimeNerd)

Hi Pidge

 

(TimePidgeon)

keith, my best friend, my lovely boy

 

(TimeNerd)

Please… not again

That’s not going to work

It doesn’t suit you

What are your roommates doing to you

 

(TimePidgeon)

sunshine of my life, beating of my heart, the big brother I never had

 

(TimeNerd)

What about YOUR brother?

 

(TimePidgeon)

shit

don’t tell him i’ve said that

 

(TimeNerd)

Screenshotted

 

(TimePidgeon)

well, i was going to keep bothering you about tomorrow night

but seems that now i have to end your existence

so forget about it

 

(TimeNerd)

You hadn’t threatened me in the past week, I was worried

 

(TimePidgeon)

Aaawwwww ♥

you’re changing the topic

you know you’ll come

it’s our first semester here, we have to BOND

don’t make me use The Force on you

 

(TimeNerd)

You always propose things that sound like I have the chance to make a choice at first but I’ve already assumed that I don’t

So, what’s the plan?

 

(TimePidgeon)

that's the Keith I know :D

look, i know you don’t like that much parties like this or crowded places

what about this:

we dind’t get to see eachother this week so we have a lot to catch up

 

(TimeNerd)

Indeed

 

(TimePidgeon)

i thought that we could hang out at your place before going there

you know, grab a bite, get some bears

 

(TimeNerd)

I really hope you misspelled that

 

(TimePidgeon)

you'll find out tomorrow ;)

 

(TimeNerd)

Presumming that you wanted to write "beers", it sounds good so far

 

(TimePidgeon)

let me finish my masterplan:

we'll eat some pizza or whatever, we bring some drinks

and when you’re drunk enough to care, i’ll drag your sorry ass to that party

 

(TimeNerd)

I knew something evil was up

 

(TimePidgeon)

lol

you knew well

 

Keith frowned, although nobody was around him to see it, and decided to give up on this one.

 

(TimeNerd)

See you tomorrow then?

I’m free from 3pm

 

(TimePidgeon)

great!

send me the address

 

(TimeNerd)  _sent a location_

Goodnight :)

 

(TimePidgeon)

night keith!

 

(TimePidgeon)  _sent a picture_

don't forget the banana!!

 

(TimeNerd)

Lol

You know I won’t

It’s a good source of potasium

 

 

\------------------------

 

 

Keith left the place trying to convince himself that he knew exactly his way home. He felt confronted emotions: on one hand, disappointment, because the party was not that good after all, and on the other hand, a bit of amusement, because the party was not _that good_ after all, therefore he  _was_   _right_  from the beginning.

 

Pidge and Keith had arrived late to the event, more like  _super_  late. They hadn’t seen each other in the last months and when they started talking -and drinking-, they just lost the track of time. If Pidge had not been annoying him with this party for the past week, they’d have admitted that hanging out at Keith’s was party enough for the day, but they weren’t to admit that in a billion years. It was now a matter of pride.

 

Just as they had warned, Pidge dragged Keith’s sorry ass to that party after saying goodbye to Shiro (and Pond), and they both walked their way to the house where it was taking place. The both of them had drunk approximately the same amount of alcohol, not that they could remember how much, but Keith was unexpectedly way drunker. For a person of their size, and for some reason far beyond human knowledge, Pidge had an alcohol tolerance that Thor himself would envy.

 

The party was a battlefield.

 

When they arrived, everybody left there was mostly wasted or directly sleeping at any place except for a bed; the floor was suspiciously sticky – _I don’t even want to know_ \- and there were random people making out at almost each corner of the house. The scene was nothing but Dantesque.

 

Keith grabbed Pidge’s hand and whispered to them with horror on his face “Please, don’t leave me alone with these people”, letting himself being pulled by his friend around the house, “stop laughing, you evil creature!”

 

However, it wasn’t that terrible at the end, he had to admit. Even though Pidge’s roommates were nowhere to be found,  they managed to meet a couple of people they knew from math class, to find a both free and suspicious source of alcohol, and they even got Keith to dance for like 10 seconds, but whatever, it counts as a win.

 

Most of the night was a blur and Keith just wanted to close his eyes in his bed and sleep like there’s no tomorrow. He said goodbye to Pidge, and started walking away after a quick check on google maps. Nonetheless, at one point he suspected he was lost. It wasn’t his fault, of course, it wasn’t  _his fault_  at all. It was because he was new in this stupidly complicated city,  _obviously_ ; it had nothing to do with the amount of beers (and the amount of other drinks he could not enumerate) he had taken in the last few hours.  _Nothing to do with that_.

 

“Heeeeeyyy maannn!! Lend me a hand, I’m kinda stuck here”

 

Keith froze, wondering for a while if it was a voice inside his head or if it was a real human voice.

 

“Right heeeeeeereeeee. Pleeeease heeeelp” … “Ouch!”

 

He moved around, trying to locate the origin of the yelling with his confused eyes. He slowly approached a sort of park at the other side of the road, which seemed to be the source of the noise. It was dark, but he could distinguish two legs moving in the air, in the middle of a bush where he guessed the rest of the body was.

 

_There’s somebody really there. Good, I’m not THAT drunk._

 

“What are you doing down there??”, exclaimed Keith, nearing cautiously the strange person.

 

“I… I don’t know how I did this… I was just… going home and then I saw a dog running among the trees, or… a really fat cat… maybe it was a raccoon…I wanted to pet it sooooo baaaad”

 

“And you just threw yourself into the bushes?” asked Keith, with an expression between baffled and amused. He couldn’t believe this guy.

 

“The risk I took was calculated but, man, I’m bad at math”, he cried.

 

“What” Keith almost collapsed against the nearest tree, laughing out loud and trying reeeeally hard not to lose balance -with little rate of success to tell the truth-.

 

“Hey!!! Don’t laugh at me!!! I though you came to help!!”

 

As soon as he managed to recompose himself, he proceeded to investigate the event that that had taken place there. The alcohol was still blurring his mind, so he had to make a titanic effort to sober up for a minute to inspect his surroundings.

 

It was quite dark there; the nearest streetlight was in the main road a bunch of meters away. They were in a green area of the city, with ornamental plants here and there, a significant number of trees of various species, and areas with grass delimited by hedgerows of shrubs that had known better times.

 

And then there was Lance, in the middle of the bushes, trying to liberate himself from the sticks and twigs.  _Thank god there are no thorns_. The way he was tangled within the plants indicated that he just attempted to jump over them, and, on the contrary of what he had said, the risk was not calculated  _at all_. He had fallen in the middle of the lame jump, and while his legs stayed caught above the bush, his head was  _almost_  on the ground, thanks to the fact that he had soften the fall with his hands.

 

Keith moved forward to the strange guy, still having doubts whether it was a hallucination or not, and sat next to his head, resisting the unexpected urge he felt of running his fingers through the hair.  _Stop it, he’s not Pond_.

 

“Ok, not laughing now”, he was just barely holding it, “right now my mind is not at full capacity because of… reasons, but how can I say no to a strange man in the bushes crying for help” articulated Keith, revealing with each phrase more of his drunk state.

 

Keith stared at his face, making an effort to focus both eyes at the same point and blinking slowly like that was going to help. As much as he would like to, he could not form a defined picture because of the dark -among  _other_ things-, and although he knew he couldn’t trust his senses and that, you know, all cats are grey in the dark, he couldn’t help it.  _Cute._

 

“I want to poke your cheek”, his finger half on his way to Lance’s face.

 

“Shuuush. Stop it, what are you doing?” said Lance, slapping the hand from his face. “Oh my Gooood”, he continued, “you’re drunker than me... aren’t you? There is no way I’ll survive this. I’m going to die here”

 

“Shhhh. Just, stop with the drama, I’m helping you!”

 

“Tell my  _mamá_  I love her. And tell my siblings: don’t touch my things!, I’ll be watching you from the afterlife. And tell my…”

 

“Can you just shut up? And stop moving! Do you want me to help or not?”

 

“Ok, just… free me from my archenemy”

 

Keith chuckled at that statement and adjusted his position; he was now kneeling towards the other man’s body and the shrub. He took a moment to appreciate the outfit - _blame me_ -, that consisted in a white and blue striped shirt, revealing almost half of his back because of the position, black ripped tight jeans and a pair of white Converse.  _Neat_. He had a backpack that was attached only to the left shoulder.

 

After standing up and spending a while doing a thorough examination with his eyes, he came to a few conclusions:

 

“I think I know what’s happening here”

 

“You do?”, responded Lance, voice filled with hope.

 

“Yeah… first of all”, he put his right hand over the showing skin of Lance’s back, causing him to jump a little with surprise, “your back is freezing”. He proceeded to rearrange the piece of clothing thinking to himself,  _good job, you’re nailing this_.

 

The other boy noticed the warm feeling and, although he said nothing, he silently thanked him. “O… ok… can you just help me get the fuck out of here now”

 

“I didn’t said I finished… second of all: it seems like a part of this plant… a sort of a width stick… went through your jeans and your bag. I think it is stuck on the left shoulder strap and one of your belt loops next to the front pocket”

 

“Great… my archenemy is… a stick”, let out, with disappointment.

 

“Yeah, man…”, laugh coming to his mouth again, “but hey, a big one, nothing to be ashamed of”

 

“Ok, so, can you help me get rid of this? I think if you can get the loop free, I can handle the bag”

 

“Alright”, said Keith, approaching him even more. He was now standing up right next to Lance, who was still facing down, and after pushing aside some annoying plants, he reached the level of Lance’s waist.

 

He looked down and bowed a little, slipping his hand around the other boy’s hip. Lance froze at the  _no so_ unexpected touch, but  _still_. He knew his face went full on red,  _thank you god so much_  it is dark down here.

 

Keith kept going on his task without realizing the struggles the strange guy in the bushes was going through. He finally found the damned stick that had slid through the middle of the loop, and it wasn’t until then that he fully realized what he was doing.

 

His hand, which had been groping around Lance’s waist, was now resting at the waistband of the jean, near the left front pocket, and at what seemed to be his belly. Keith paused for a moment, thinking in what felt like  _slomo_ , and starting to panic a little bit at his thoughts:  _this is definitely not jean. This is skin. I’m touching a random guy I found literally sprawled in a fucking garden’s hip. Oh god, oh…_

“So, uhm…”, Lance spoke first, swallowing, “do you think you’ll be able to…”

 

“Ye… yeah, it’s just, the situation got a little more intimate than I had anticipated” his face now redder than that robotic lion from that TV show he used to watch.

 

“Yes, I noticed that”, Lance couldn’t help but laugh, feeling more relaxed now after analyzing the absurdity of the moment “look, this is pretty awkward for both of us, so just keep going and do it fast so we can forget it as soon as possible”. He didn’t know how premonitory that was.

 

“Ok, let me… just”, he grabbed the loop with a hand and the stick with the other one, shaking them of and pulling in opposite directions, “it’s almost… just a little more… and…”, one more jerk, “there it is!!”, said triumphant.

 

“Ouch, shit,  _mierda_ , that hurted!”, exclaimed the now free man while trying to get rid of his bag.

 

“I’m sorry, it wasn’t my intention to hurt y…”

 

“It’s fine, I was just thinking out loud”, continued, moving himself off the stupid bush, sitting next to the nearest tree, “tha… thanks I guess”. Keith let out a sound of relief, taking a sit beside him, “you’re welcome”.

 

The two boys just sat there for a while, breathing as if they had run a marathon, looking at nothing specific. They don’t know who started it, but seconds, later, they were looking at each other and laughing again.

 

Keith knew it was the alcohol -and probably the adrenaline- who was moving his body, because his sober version would never had found the courage to raise his left arm and put it around a strange man he just met, but  _life is too short, he is too cute and I’m too drunk to care_.

 

Lance looked surprised at first, but he did not complain at all and let himself get carried away, feeling the warm embracing his shoulders. He was now resting his head on Keith’s chest, and when he looked up, he noticed that Keith was glancing at him.

 

It was quite dark, but he was sure he was now looking at him.

 

Both of them stared at each other for what felt like hours. If they were asked, they would have sworn that neither of them had moved an inch, and yet their faces were now closer than ever. Noses almost touching, foreheads millimeters apart.

 

Lance could feel the exact moment his heartbeat raced up to the point it was making him difficult to hear and to think -although he had stopped thinking clearly a few hours ago- , and despite his blurred mind, he was pretty sure the other boy was in a similar state.

 

They were so close. They had already assumed that  _it was going to happen_.

 

And just like that, in a blink of an eye, the magic moment was broken.

 

Lance’s phone started ringing and buzzing inside his bag, he opened the zipper and Keith looked at him with a raised brow, disappointment and a bit of amusement on his face.

 

… _~~~just give me a siiiiing~~~_

Keith’s eyebrow raised to a new level.

 

… _~~~Hit me baby one more time!~~~_

 

Lance observed him with a sorry look that said “ _What? It’s a_ _classic_ ” and proceeded to answer the call. The screen read “Shay”.

 

“Hey Shay. Why are you calling me? Are you with H…?

…

“Yeah, sorry, I was there but I already left”

…

“That… that would be awesome, yes”

…

“Where am I?”, he paused for a second.

“You know that park with a garden, at this big avenue, how is it called…”

…

“Yeah, yes! That one! Can you pick me up there?”

…

“I… I… was just taking a walk… and… it got complicated”, he looked back at Keith.  _If you say nothing I say nothing_.

…

“I’ll be here! Thanks!”

 

They were silent for a moment, until Keith spoke. “So, she’s coming for you, that… Shay”, saying this girl’s name hurt a little for no apparent reason.

 

“Uh um, yes”, he felt like giving him an explanation, “she’s my friend’s girlfriend, they'll be here in a couple of minutes”.

 

“Ok… I think we should… should be going then”, both of them knew what they should do, but no one nor the other showed a minimum sing of movement. Taking the initiative, Keith asked, “You won’t have by any chance some paper and a pen in that bag of yours?”

 

It took Lance a second to realize why he would be asking that, but he obeyed with a smile in his face. Keith took the pen, scribbled something on the paper and gave it back to Lance, folded. Keith leaned his head toward Lance’s, doubt crossing his mind just for half a second,  and put a soft and light kiss in his nose. Both of them blushing.

 

“I should go, your friends must be almost here” he stood up and said with a smile “good bye, I… actually had an unexpected good time tonight”. He walked away, finding hard to maintain his balance, and wondering for the third time if the whole thing had been all a hallucination. But you know what, right now he couldn’t care less.

 

“Me too”, said Lance, with nobody else hearing now his words. He stared at the piece of paper and put it inside his bag, with a tender smile crossing his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost feel bad for not letting them kiss... but hey, the burn must be slow!!
> 
> Thanks for reading! Any comment, sugestion or correction will be welcome ^_^


	3. Fishfingers and custard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally they meet (again), but this time let's hope they'll remember ^^

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some clarifications for the chat:  
> Keith: plain text  
> Pidge: underlined  
>  **Lance: bold**  
>  _Hunk: italics_

 

It was 12.07 pm on Saturday. Lance was in his bedroom still lying in bed; he wasn’t asleep anymore but getting up wasn’t an option either. For the approximately half an hour of consciousness that Lance had experimented so far, he knew that he was going to hate every minute of that day.

 

He found himself lying down on his bed, above the bedspread, embracing his pillow like it was the love of his live. He began to be more aware of the surroundings and realized that the only thing he had achieved last night was to take off his shoes and attempt to unzip his jeans. _Great_. The head felt like his brain had grown somehow from last night and his skull wasn’t big enough to contain it, sending bursts of pain every time he moved an inch.

 

He could hear movement downstairs, sounds of clashing dishes, words that he couldn’t decipher and some laughs in between. The idea of getting up sounded like the worst plan to him, but he reaaaly needed some water and some sort of painkiller of hangover eraser, or just an axe and a friend who willingly would cut his head. _Problem solved_.

 

Lance dragged himself downstairs letting gravityget the job done, like one of those lazy cat gifssliding down the stairs that seem almost liquid. He managed to get himself to the couch and lay there facing the ceiling, making a noise that could perfectly belong to a hungry baby whale.

 

“ _aaaaaaaaaaannnngggggngnggaaaannnnnnnaaaanngggggggggggg_ ”

 

The two roommateshad observed his entire trajectory with amusement, letting him perform the drama, as if they’re watching a wildlife documentary. Breakfast could wait.

 

“What’s happening?”, asked Pidge with a whisper, trying not to disturb the specimen.

 

“That’s his hangover ritual”, informed Hunk, “that noise he’s making usually means he wants some water, some painkiller and probably he wants to be fed too”.

 

“ _nnnnnnnnggggngnnnnggaaaaaaarrggggggggnnnnn_ ”

 

Pidge stood up from the chair, picking the broom they kept in the kitchen with one hand and grabbing their phone with the other. Their camera had never been so ready.

 

“Oh my God, this is gold. I’m gonna blackmail him until forever” they said, poking Lance with the stick of the broom, “are you alive?”

 

“aaaannnnfffgggggg”, he miserably tried to open his eyes, “eeeeeennndd the suuuuffferiiingggggnnnng”

 

Pidge stood next to Lance, making sure the audiovisual material was secured, while Hunk, the good old kind patient magnanimous Hunk, put some bread in the toaster and made some coffee, grabbed an ibuprofen from the miscellany drawer of the living room table, and filled a glass of water. He approached the suffering boy and with a gentle pat on the shoulder he spoke:

 

“C’mon buddy, you can do this. You know the protocol.”

 

“No Hunk, this is it. This is the story of how I died”, mumbled Lance theatrically.

 

“No it is not. You survived this and you will again. Come on, take the pill with a sip of water, you’ll feel better. Actually, you should drink all the water”

 

“Wait, you have a protocol?”, asked Pidge with amusement, “How often this happens? Just wanna know if I have to buy another memory card for my phone”

 

“Well, it used to happen more during our freshman year, nowadays it’s just sporadic. It doesn’t mean it gets less funny”, he laughed, returning his attention to Lance.

 

“Great, now Hunk’s betraying me too”, he suddenly found the strength look up at Hunk and shoot him a deadly gaze.

 

The three of them turnedtheir faces at the kitchen when they heard the sound of the toaster going off.Pidge and Hunks left Lance agonizing on the couch without a second thought. Breakfast was waiting.

 

“C’mon Lance!! You have to eat something”

 

“Gooooinggggg”, he protested, but dragged his feet to the kitchen anyway. When he reached the table, Hunk had already served him some coffee, milk, some cereals and toast. “I love you Hunk, you literally saved my life”, he said, letting the smell of the coffee reach his brain.

 

“A couple of times actually, if we’re only counting this week”

 

“That spider was _enormous_!”

 

“So, how was last night guys”, interrupted Pidge “I mean, from Lance’s state I could say that was pretty intense… but I didn’t get to found you, we arrived kinda late”

 

“Yeah, you and your mysterious friend that _totally_ exists”, mocked the one with the epic hangover.

 

“Of course he does! Why would I even make up someth…”, they pause, “you know what, whatever you say dude, if that makes you happy…”

 

“C’moooonPiiiidge, I’m just messing with you”. He left unattended his breakfast for a second, hugging Pidge was the priority now. “Coooomeheeeere”

 

“I’m too tired to even fight you. Just do it quickly”

 

“You know you love me”. His arms were already around them.

 

“I met you like a week ago dude”, they said, patting Lance’s shoulder, “Let’s say I tolerate you for now”

 

“I’m counting it as a win”, he grinned, going back to his breakfast.

 

“We found him in a park near the party. He looked like he had rolled around on the floor for a while”, said Hunk, answering Pidge question.

 

“Wh… what?”. Pidge had asked about the night just for politeness, but now were suddenly pretty interested.

 

“It wasn’t like that!!!”

 

“It’s that so? How it was then?”, Hunk wanted to torture him a for a little longer.

 

“I… I don’t know. I think I just fell or something…”. He tried to recall the lost hours, looking at the bruises on his forearm. “I found some leaves inside one of my pockets…”

 

Hunk and Pidge bursted out laughing at the poor boy agonizing in front of them, the show was just too funny. They spent the rest of the breakfast time teasing him with no mercy, with little to nonexistent success on recalling what happened that night. Lance went back to bed, only leaving his bedroom that day for the sake of Hunk and his precious meals.

 

\-------------------------

 

(TimePidgeon)

Hey keith!

how you doing?? I haventherad from you for weeks!

how's your new college life?

 

(TimeNerd)

Hi Pidge

Not much apart from classes, tests, midterms, essays and group assignments from hell

 

(TimePidgeon)

yeah, can relate

 

(TimeNerd)

_[image sent]_

Taking a walk rn

 

(TimePidgeon)

ohhhhh, that’s my beautiful girl!

pet her for me

 

(TimeNerd)

♥♥♥♥

 

(TimePidgeon)

so

what are your plans for the weekend?

i thought we can hang out or something

 

(TimeNerd)

I wish I could do something out of studying, but I’m afraid I won’t be available this weekend

I’m loving most of my classes so far, but my free time is almost incidental

I’m having a really hard time this week with an assignment from the programming class

It’s taking me ages

 

(TimePidgeon)

programming class you say?

the one with prof zarkon?

 

(TimeNerd)

That one yes

 

(TimePidgeon)

i didn’t took that class, but ive heard the tales…

my poor boy

you know what?

why don’t you come home tomorrow instead of the library and i give you a hand with that?

 

(TimeNerd)

That…

Actually sounds great

Thank you Pidge

I owe you one

 

(TimePidgeon)

one?

 

(TimeNerd)

Ok…

Three at least

 

(TimePidgeon)

that's better

so, see you at my place tomorrow?

 

(TimeNerd)

Yeah

What time should I go?

I’m free from 3pm

Well… “free”

 

(TimePidgeon)

you can show about four

i'll be home by then

 

(TimeNerd)

Awesome

 

(TimePidgeon)

you are going to love hunk’s dinner!

they’ll finally have to belive that you arent imaginary

 

(TimeNerd)

What?

I thought we were going to work

I told you I had no time to waste this week

 

(TimePidgeon)

and we aaaaare

we can work on your assignment and still have time to chat a bit

dont worry keith with my help you’ll finish it in no time

youwont skip dinner anyways

andyou’ll regret it if you dont let hunk feed you

 

(TimeNerd)

Ok

I guess it wouldn’t hurt if I have dinner at your place

See you tomorrow Pidge

 

(TimePidgeon)

laterkeith!

 

 

\-----------------------

 

 

The cafe was busy as hell. With the approaching threat of the midterms, students from all mayors craved for unhealthy amounts of coffee and everybody on campus knew Allura’s was the best. Lance was exhausted from the amount of classes he had that morning and he just submitted and assignment he had worked his ass off  for it the last two weeks, so that evening was going to be for redemption. _Treat yourselfday_ , he thought.

 

“Hello Lance! Coming to get the usual?”. On the other side of the counter there was Allura, the lovely bartender that worked part time at Voltron, one of the busiest cafes around. She, of course, was part of the reason. Not only for her natural beauty, radiant smile, impressive long white hair and likable personality; besides all that, her skills around the coffee maker were beyond human comprehension, it was like she was from another planet.

 

She was the kind of person that the only people that could possibly hate her, were those who couldn’t stand her perfection so they were annoyed by it. Allura was _that_ kind ofperson that make everybody had a crush on her at one point, regardlesstheir gender or sexuality. And Lance, of course, was no exception.

 

First time he met her, a couple of years ago, he had crushed hard.Given Lance’s flirty personality and big heart, and Allura’s awesomeness,it was A Chronicle of a ~~Death~~ Crush Foretold.And of the consequent broken heart. He had tried to hit on her a couple of times, but ~~not~~ soon enough he got the message. She was for him now like the platonic love he will never have, but they’re good friends now and the romantic feelings turned in fondness and friendship.

 

“How is my princess today?”, he said with a wide smile.

 

“Busy as a mall on Christmas Eve to be honest”, she let out a heavy breath, “but that’s good for the business I guess… What can I do for you?”. The smile came back to her face.

 

“Well, today is a special day (because I decided so), and I was thinking about trying something new. Any suggestions?”

 

“mmm… we just got a new incorporation on the menu that I think you might like”.

 

“Awesome”, said Lance with the brightest of his smiles, “can’t wait”.

 

Allura turned away and headed for the coffee maker to do her magic.Few minutes later, Lance heard his name called and saw that his request was done.

 

“Here it is!”

 

“What I have the privilege to be tasting?”

 

“Well, I think it still be categorized as coffee because there’s some on it but it’s more like a dessert. I know you like sweet”

 

Lance grabbed the cup and cautiously examined it following Allura’sindications. There was a lower layer of dark coffee with condensed milk at the bottom, followed by a ball of vanilla ice-cream. The top layer was a spiral made of cream, and above that, there was some blueberries and red little toppings like tiny M&Ms. He was already salivating and he only smelled it.

 

“Wow Allura! It seems delicious! Thank you very much”

 

“I hope you enjoy it!”

 

“Sure! I think I gonnago for a walk while I taste it… not that I don’t enjoy your company! But the place is pretty crowded and I don’t want to steal more time from you”

 

“Thanks, I appreciate the gesture. Come back another day and we’ll chat more peacefully”

 

“Don’t doubt it, I will. Thanks again. By princess!”

 

“By Lance”

 

With his renewed good mood and his new drink, he headed for a path that goes by a small river near the campus. He could take a shortest way to go home but today he felt like he deserved a little time for himself. He took a sip from the straw on his drink and nearly had a holly experience.

 

“Holly shit”, he stopped walking; “THIS is good. I have to sit somewhere to savor this”. And so he did. He found a good spot near a tree and sat next to it, leaning his back against the elm. The brown haired boy was now devouring the top layers with the little plastic spoon Allura had given him, and just at that moment, he thought that he hadn’t had an evening so good in months.

 

Lance didn’t know how much time stayed there, was it half an hour? Was it an hour? He didn’t care, not that day. He just enjoyed the sunlight that passed through the leaves of the trees, the sound of the near river, and watched without paying much attention at the few people that walked beside him. He hadn’t even checked the phone since he left class. _That’s a new record,_ he thought.

 

( _Sunflower_ )

Hey buddy!

Have you finished class already?

 

( _Sunflower_ )

Ok, maybe not

I’m just letting you know that I’m making a special dinner tonight

That friend Pidge kept talking about is here studying with them

Like, he totally exists!

So he agreed to stay for dinner

I have the feeling that Pidge threatened him, but still

So, come home by seven?

That’s when they said they will finish

Ok

I hope you read the texts

Later!

 

( **TheLancest** )

huuunk!

sorry man, i was doing

stuff

im heading home rn

ill be there in 15

special dinner you say~~~~

 

( _Sunflower_ )

Ohhhhh, doing stuff??

Why I have the feeling a girl was involved

 

( **TheLancest** )

i went to alluras actually

but is not like that!!

i was there for a coffee

shutup

 

( _Sunflower_ )

Alright, whatever you say ;)

See you in 15

 

_Pidge’s friend, huh? Interesting_.

 

Fifteen minutes later, more like twenty-ish, Lance arrived home and entered the living room.

 

“Hey guys!”, he cheered at the people there.

 

He saw Hunk arranging the last details for dinner, while Pidge and a person he didn’t recognize were sitting at the living room’s table, with each laptop in from of them and a pile of papers beside.

 

“Hi Lance!”, greeted Pidge, “come here, let me introduce you my friend Keith”

 

He approached the table, taking a good non-dissimulated look at the guest. The lightning was not very bright but it seemed to Lance that the other boy had long black hair, tied in a bun that had been disheveled in the last hours, he was wearing a scarlet v-neck shirt and, for some reason, fingerless gloves. The guest looked up from his computer and, due to the screen light reflected on his face, his skin seemed particularly pale, but however, it matched his aesthetic.

 

“mmh, hi Lance”, said Keith offering a hand.

 

“So, you are the _presumed_ Pidge’s friend, which never happens to be around”, Lance shook briefly his hand and gazed at him a little more, until his face was just a handspan from Keith’s “are you sure you are not just at actor this little gremlin hired just to cover their alibi?”.

 

Keith stared at Lance for a few seconds – _not like he was checking him out a little bit_ \- and then turned his head to face Pidge, “you were right, this is the annoying one”.

 

“What?? How I am the annoying one?”, dramatized Lance, his mouth hanging open for a second while he could hear the laughing from the kitchen and from Pidge their self. “Who gave you the right to call me annoying? We just barely met!”

 

“Well, Pidge said that had a roommate that was like a ray of sunshine and other one that was cool but he could get kind of annoying. It’s pretty clear that Hunk is the ray of sunshine, so that leaves you with…”

 

“What?? Piiiidge!! Why would you betray me like thaaaat… also, you said I was cool, aaaawwww”

 

“First of all”, Pidge managed to pronounce between laughs, “Keith, that was a description I gave to you like the second day I met them, although it’s still damn accurate and”, the accusatory finger shifted to Lance’s direction, “YOU can get pretty fucking annoying sometimes, so no lies in what I said”, they crossed their arms with a pose of satisfaction.

 

“Me? Annoying? Never”, he crossed his arms as well, but the expression was as if he was trying to be offended. The argument ended when the chef of the house entered the living room with a white-yellow plaid tablecloth and some cutlery in his hands.

 

“C’mon people, dinner’s ready. You can discuss whether Lance is annoying or not later, now we’re hungry and tired.” “Pidge, Keith, could you put your laptops and notes off the table for a while? You can resume your work later if you need to.”

 

“Yeah, of course Hunk! We could totally use a break right now”, said Pidge, closing their computer “Come on Keith, we’re like half done in the assignment, you’ll finish it alright in a couple of days”

 

“Ok, I guess you’re right”. Both of them tidied up the table and the other two put the covering. Hunk assigned duties for everyone and the table was arranged in two minutes. All it was left was the drinks, which was Lance’s chore, and they all could finally eat.

 

He was whispering at himself while grabbing them from the fridge. “Ok, so water for Hunk, apple juice for Pidge… aaand for me… mmm… oh, there are still some beers! Awesome. I totally deserve one today”. He took the drinks to the table and remembered that he didn’t know what to get for Pidge’s friend.

 

“So… Keith, was it right? What do you want to drink?”

 

“Are there more of these?”, asked Keith pointing at the beer.

 

“Excellent choice for a rat nest-head”, he spoke as he walked back in to the kitchen to complete the task.

 

“What was that for, _annoying one_?”, demanded the aforementioned, keeping a reciprocated death glare with Lance until he exited the living room. Keith would swear that Lance was smirking.

 

“To be fair Keith”, Pidge felt like taking part, “your hair was ruined since like half an hour after you got here. I don’t think you realize it, but when you are concentrating hard you run your hands through your hair a lot and, yeah, your bun kinda looks like a rat nest right now”

 

“See?”, said Lance getting back with the extra beer and enjoying the fact that Pidge had just agreed with whim, which was an infrequent happenstance, poking with his right index finger Keith’s messed hair. Keith took his phone and looked at himself with the front camera.

 

“Oh”. His cheeks turned to a soft shade of pink.

 

Lance walked around the table to take his sit right in front of Keith with a renewed self-steam and his arms raised as a sign of victory. “Told you”, he said as the dropped himself on his chair, one eyebrow raised with amusement.

 

The thing Lance wasn’t expecting though, was seeing Keith arranging his hair right in front of him in slomo. Well, he was doing it at a normal pace, but if felt like slomo to Lance. The act was simple and domestic yet he was caught in the moment as if he was watching a masterpiece. Keith untied his bun and helped his black hair be unleashed and free to touch his shoulders with a soft movement of the head, combing it softly with his hands. He had let it grow lately part because of his laziness, and part because _why not, it looks good_.  He held the tie with his lips as he remade the bun up in his head. Keith was so concentrated in the task that he jumped a little when he hear Hunk’s coughing like he wanted to interrupt something.

 

Lance snapped back from the ethereal place where he seemed to have been the last seconds and closed his mouth, which apparently had been slightly open the entire time. Realizing that he had obviously (for everyone except Keith) been staring the whole time, he rapidly change the subject hoping nobody had noticed his blush.

 

“So, I went to Allura’s today and she made me the most amazing caffeinate beverage ever made in this part of the universe”, he remembered with a wide smile.

 

“Oooohhh, Allura…”, teased Hunk, “isn’t she that girl you tried to hit on since like our first week of college with lame pick up lines?”

 

“Yeah, but that defines almost every girl he encounters each day of his life”, Keith choked on his drink a little bit at his friend’s comment, not sure if what he was feeling was disappointment and where it came from.

 

“Hahaha, you couldn’t be more right Pidge. I know him like forever and he’s always been the same”

 

“Shut up, you demons! I came here to have a good time and honestly I am feeling so attacked right now. I guess I’m just too awesome for the ladies - _and the boys_ \- of this world to understand what they’re missing”, he performed with a hand on his chest in some sort of solemn gesture.

 

Keith was convinced that he has just had some kind of hallucination, but at that moment he would had sworn that for the thousandth of a second that took Lance to pronounce the word “boys”, his blue eyes landed on his own.

 

The evening went by pretty uneventful with light chattering, some laughs here and there, and a little bit of bickering between mostly two of the boys. Nonetheless, it was actually fun to meet Pidge’s friends, but Keith would never admitted that out loud. Hunk was a really nice person and apparently a God in the kitchen and Lance… well, Lance was Lance: the loud and ~~pretty~~ annoying one.

 

Later that night during his walk with Pond, he even sent Pidge a text thanking them for the help with his assignment… and for the invitation.

 

\--------------------------

 

 

**(Unknown number)**

Hello~

 

(Unknown number)

Hmm… hello?

I think you got the wrong number

 

**(Unknown number)**

I dont think so

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things will get interesting with this text fomr this mysterious person ;)


	4. Still not ginger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance finds a weird note inside his backpack and decided to text the random number that's written there. He has nothing to loose anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some clarifications for the chat:  
> Keith: plain text  
> Pidge: underlined  
>  **Lance: bold**  
>  _Hunk: italics_
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Did I put a meme in this chapter? Of course I did

This last couple of weeks had been crazy to say the least; the assignments and the exams are killing him, but he’s learning and working so much that in the end it’ll worth it, or that’s what Keith likes to think. Thanks to Pidge’s help the other day, he could finish that damn programming thing on time and he decided that he deserved a rest. Keith still had to study for the midterms, but the pressure wasn’t the same. He had most of the subjects under reasonable control.

 

He and Pond came back home after a long walk and they were chilling on the couch watching nothing in particular on TV. Pond’s head was in his lap and he was petting it with care, earning a lick or two once in a while. Sunday mornings were his favorite moment for walking his dog. There were not much people around at that time so he could free her from the leash most of the time. Sometimes they even run together, but this morning he didn’t have the energy for that.

 

His roommate and friend Shiro came back for the night shift at the hospital half an hour ago and was taking a long shower before going to sleep after a good dinner/breakfast.

 

“How was the shift?”

 

“Surprisingly quiet to be honest. I’m starting to guess that night shifts are quite unpredictable”, said the taller man looking at the coffee maker with sleepy eyes.

 

They stayed in comfortable silence ignoring the TV, when Keith notices his phone buzzing.

 

**(Unknown number)**

hello~

 

(Unknown number)

Hmm… hello?

I think you got the wrong number

 

**(Unknown number)**

i dont think so

 

(Unknown number)

Ok…

So, do you want something or…?

 

 **(Unknown number)** _sent a picture_

sounds familiar? ;)

 

Keith stares at the screen for a while and frowns when he sees a picture of a crumpled piece of paper with his phone number poorly written on it, followed by a more poorly written “ _Text me, K_ ” and a scrawl that pretends to be a wink.

 

He looks at the photo long enough to feel his phone vibrating again. He re reads the text printed on the paper a couple of times more with his face looking more confused with each glance.

 

The phone number is indeed correct - he thinks - and to be honest, although the handwriting is flickering, he kind of recognizes it. _Shit_ , it could be his. Finally, he gazes at the “ _K_ ” without blinking for a few seconds. _Oh boy_ , it could be his.

 

**(Unknown number)**

u still there???

im sorry, did i creep u out??

it was a better idea in my head (>_<)

 

(Unknown number)

Yeah, I’m here

It’s ok, it’s just… I don’t know when I (supposedly) wrote that

Did I gave it to you or… did you found it?

 

**(Unknown number)**

thank god, i thought u blocked me

i dont really remember

ifound it at the bottom of my bag, mixed with all the stuff ive been throwing there all semester

i dont now how long its been there

 

(Unknown number) _is typing..._

 

(Unknown number)

If I really wrote that (I’m not still sure), it had to be there for a few weeks or months at least

I didn’t have a lot of moments lately when I could forget doing… something like that.

 

**(Unknown number)**

i wish i could say the same lol

so… u arent sure but… it could be yours??

 

Keith rolled his eyes with resignation.

 

(Unknown number)

I guess

 

**(Unknown number)**

yassss ^w^

im assuming ur name starts with a K

 

(Unknown number)

Wow, I gave Sherlock my number. Lucky me

 

**(Unknown number)**

lol

pretty and funny

im glad i texted ;)

 

(Mysterious K)

How do you know I’m pretty?

 

**(Unknown number)**

u gave me ur number and i kept it

i trust drunk me

he never did a thing i regret

almost never…

thats not the point!

 

(Mysterious K)

So, you’re a he

 

**(Unknown number)**

is it a bad thing?

 

(Mysterious K)

At all

 

Lance looked at his phone with a grin. He doesn’t think this texting is going anywhere, but… what if… he can dream a little, can’t he?

 

(Mysterious K)

I would be surprised if you weren’t, but… just checking

I don’t trust drunk me as much as you do

 

**(Unknown number)**

lmfao

looks like someone got super wasted a few weeks ago xD

 

(Mysterious K)

Yeah, YOU did

 

**(Unknown number)**

i'm looking at u, Mysterious K

 

(Mysterious K)

Mysterious K?

 

**(Unknown number)**

oh yeah

i saved ur number already

ur mysterious

and the only thing i know about u is that ur name starts with a K

and that u dont know how to draw a wink

 

(Mysterious K)

Fair enough

 

 

“Why are you smiling so much today?”, asked Shiro with a teasing tone.

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“Your face. It’s doing a thing. It’s called smiling. You should google it”

 

“Ha. Ha. Pretty funny. I’m not smiling more than usual”

 

“Your usual approaches to zero, so yes, you are”. Shiro’s eyes were giving up from tiredness already. “I think I’m going to bed for now. Wake me up for lunch if you cook something tasty”

 

“Sure”

 

“And keep texting whoever you are texting”, he winked and left towards his room.

 

“Shut up, I wasn’t smiling”. He definitely was.

 

 

**(Unknown number)**

speaking of things that we know from each other

u know my genre already

and yours is....?

 

_(Mysterious K)_

I thought you guessed

Before, you know, decided to text me

Man, you really were wasted

 

**(Unknown number)**

you're the one talking!!

look, I dont really care about the genre, if u know what i mean

problem with that?

 

(Mysterious K) _is typing..._

 

Lance’s face looks now worried for the first time since the conversation began, feeling _unnecessarily_ uneasy, he thought, because why would he cared about the opinion of a person who he knows nothing about and…

 

(Mysterious K)

Why would that be a problem?

 

Lance breathes again with relief.

 

(Mysterious K)

Let's keep the mystery a little longer then ;)

 

**(Unknown number)**

ohh god

one more thing I know about u

u are the DEVIL

(Mysterious K)

Lol

I might be

So, you know my name starts with a K, and yours…?

 

**(Unknown number)**

ok, NOW u want to know something about me??

u already know more than i do about you

what are u giving me in exchange

 

(Mysterious K)

Let’s see…

 

The grin is back at Lance’s face, heart pounding a little with anticipation.

 

(Mysterious K)

I’m 21 yo

I have dark eyes and black hair

I love dogs

Is that enough price for one letter?

 

**(Unknown number)**

sounds good so far ;)

L

 

(Mysterious K)

Nice to meet you, L

 

**(L)**

nice to meet u K

im almost 21, so no big difference

 

“L and K. That didn’t end well”. Keith grins and shakes his head, dismissing the idea of making a joke about Death Note.

 

(Mysterious K)

You already know one more thing about me

 

**(L)**

which is…??

 

(Mysterious K)

I’m far better than you at being mysterious

I didn't even ask for your age or your birthday

 

**(L)**

shit

 

(Mysterious K)

If we keep talking 10 more minutes, I could get your address, your ID and your blood type

 

**(L)**

shut up

 

(Mysterious K)

I’m actually going to shut up

It’s my free day and I’m feeling like taking a nap before lunch

I woke up pretty early and I’m still tired

 

 

**(L)**

Yeah I feel you

have a good nap

and text me, K

 

(Mysterious K)

I’ll think about it

 

 

_What the fuck has just happened._

Keith shook his head, tossed his phone on the couch and curled himself under the blanket; he’ll deal with that later. Pond took no time to adjust his position next to him and they both fell asleep in a minute.

 

 

\-------------

 

 

“What is he doing?”, asked Pidge with a whisper. She and Hunk were having breakfast at the table while Lance was half napping half texting on the couch.

 

“I think he’s texting someone. He has the flirting face”

 

“ _That_ is his flirting face? I have to document this”

 

“Don’t worry, you’ll have multiple opportunities. Hey Lance! Who are you flirting with?”

 

“Shhhhsshhhh, don’t disturb my subject of experiment”

 

“I’m not flirting FYI”, shouted back Lance from the couch.

 

“You just said FYI?”

 

“I’m surely did”

 

“So… who is she?”, teased Hunk, sitting next to him.

 

“I told you, there is no she”

 

“Ok. Who is he?”

 

“There is no he either!”

 

“Uhmm, this is new. Pidge, write this down: Lance might be flirting with an alien. Or a robot. Or an angel.”

 

“Or a non-binary person”, pointed out Pidge.

 

“Sorry Pidge, you’re right: or a non-binary person. So, which one is it?”

 

“Huuuunk, I thought you were my friend, why are you torturing me”

 

“Because you had the flirting face, and when you have the flirting face I usually have coming a storm of rambling, pinning and probably sobbing for the next weeks, so yeah, I deserve to know”. Stated Hunk, his arms crossed on his chest.

 

Lance had no arguments against that so he was already giving up. “Well… the answer is that I don’t know”

 

“You don’t know who you are texting. What I always tell you about meeting random people in the internet?”

 

“Shut up, it’s not like that”

 

“Explain”. Pidge were now more interested and joined them on the couch.

 

“I found a note inside my backpack with a phone number. I don’t remember when or who gave it to me, so I don’t know who I’m texting. They kept flirting back, so I didn’t drop the conversation”, he took a deep breath and touched the bridge of his nose like he was tired for all the thinking, “I was bored, the note said ‘text me’, so I did. Are you happy now?”

 

“Oh, it is… actually better than I expected?”

 

“You have no faith in me Hunk”

 

“I have faith in that you definitely had the flirting face”, he grinned.

 

“Agrrrh, ok, I maybe was making the flirting face a little bit. You know I can’t control it”

 

“Hahaha, you’re right. It’s just in your nature. Be ready Pidge, there is a storm coming”, said Hunk with a serious tone, looking at the infinite.

 

“Amazing”, mumbled Pidge, still munching on their cereals and taking mental note of everything they had witnessed.

 

\---------------

 

 

(TimeNerd)

Hey Pidge

How you doing?

(TimePidgeon)

look who finally decided to text

 

(TimeNerd)

I’m sorry

I was bussy

 

(TimePidgeon)

bussy, I know

you tell me that a lot

 

(TimeNerd)

You’re right, as usual

It’s not like I forgot about you, but… yeah, I should text you more

You helped me a lot with that assignment, I owe you a big one

Thanks again

 

(TimePidgeon)

well, since you keep telling me you owe me but still do nothing about im gonna ask for myself what i want and you cant say no

 

(TimeNerd)

I can’t remember the last time I had the chance to say no to you

 

(TimePidgeon)

GOOD

know your place bitch

 

(TimeNerd)

Alriiiight

What do you have in mind

I surrender

 

(TimePidgeon)

B)

we're planning a movie night

actually not only night

each one of us would choose a movie so the more people, the more movies to watch

i guess we’ll start with the first movie around 4-5pm

 

(TimeNerd)

It sounds interesting actually

I’m assuming that the plan is with your roommates?

 

(TimePidgeon)

yeah

hunk’s girlfriend is coming too

you’re ok with them, arent you?

i felt like you had fun last time

 

(TimeNerd)

Yeah yeah, it’s fine, of course

Hunk is nice and Lance is a little bit… Lance?

If that’s make sense

But nothing I can’t handle

 

(TimePidgeon)

lol

it totally makes sense

he’s also

pretty handsome ;)

 

(TimeNerd)

Pidge

 

(TimePidgeon)

ok ok

just testing the waters

 

(TimeNerd)

So, what day is it

 

(TimePidgeon)

in two weeks

saturday 8th i think

 

(TimeNerd)

I have nothing that day

Count me in

 

(TimePidgeon)

i was counting with you since the beginning

i am just informing you that you have to come

look,  found a picture of you online

 

(TimePidgeon) _sent a picture_

  


 

(TimeNerd)

I see your evilness is still on point

 

(TimePidgeon)

you bet :D

 

(TimeNerd)

Shiro says hi btw

 

(TimePidgeon)

tell him i said hi back

oh, you could tell him about the movies

he can come if he wants to

 

(TimeNerd)

Ok, I let him know

 

(TimePidgeon)

great!

 

\---------------

 

One more week had gone by and the weight of midterms was heavier with each day. Running had always been Keith’s best way of clearing his mind mostly during cold mornings like that one. He had woken up when the phone showed 06.17 am. His internal clock was already screwed up from all the early mornings he had in the last years. As usual for Sunday mornings, there was nobody around the neighborhood at sunrise time, so his dog was running free around, smelling (and peeing on) things.

 

He was running towards a building corner when he suddenly run into someone that was walking on the opposite direction. He had enough reflexes to almost dodge it, but they still crashed with their shoulders.

 

“Ouch!”

 

“Oh God! I’m… I’m sorry! I didn’t see you. I’m so sorry!”. It happened so fast that Keith didn’t have the time to process the situation.

 

“It’s… ok I guess, you only bumped on my sh…”, the other boy looked up, “Keith?”

 

“Lance? What are you doing here?”. Keith rested his hands on his knees, still panting because of the running.

 

“What am I…? I could ask you the same question!”

 

“Well, it’s pretty clear that I’m running. Like, exercising. Ever heard of that?”

 

“Who the hell goes for a run at this time in the night?”

 

“It’s kinda the morning already…”

 

“Oh.” Lance took a look at his surroundings and, indeed, it was already morning.

 

“So, if you’re not running, not going to class or work, what are you…?”, Keith paused just when he noticed the state of Lance’s clothes and his tired face, with incipient bags under his eyes. He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “Walk of shame, I guess?”

 

“Errrrmm”

 

“Oh my god, it is, isn’t it?”, Keith grinned at his little deduction.

 

“Well, not exactly. It’s far worst than that. The walk of shame usually means that you’ve previously had ‘fun’?”

 

“So you walk home at this time in the morning from somewhere where you didn’t have 'fun'?”

 

“It’s not that easy! Why do you care anyway?”

 

“I… I don’t care, I’m just curious”, Keith excused himself, trying to hide the blush in his face.

 

“Alright Keithy… I’m going to tell you but just because you’re insisting too much and I’m still a little tipsy, but only if you promise to hear the whole story and to not laugh at it, and most important than that: you can’t tell a word to Pidge or Hunk. They’ll torture me until the end of the days”

 

“Ok”. What can it be that bad that he had to hide it from them? “I promise”

 

“Alright…”, Lance grabbed Keith’s shoulder with his left hand, part of it for balance, part of it for getting his full attention, and started talking.

 

“The things is that yesterday night I got a text for my exgirlfriend Nyma. Ok, she is kind of an exgirlfriend although if you ask her she’ll probably say no. The point is that I got her text saying that she missed me and she wanted to see me tonight. I don’t really wan’t to date her anymore but I got nothing to do and it’s been a while since… you know…”, he paused for half a second just to wink at Keith and catch a new breath, “so I thought, why not. I’m young, cute and horny and I kinda deserve it. So I met her at a bar, we had a couple of beers and some shots, and at one point we left the bar and went to her house. We made out for a bit but when I thought that everything was going well, she suddenly grabs my hand and handcuffs me to a table’s leg.”

 

“What?”. Keith was paying full attention to the story trying not to miss a thing, but this was an unexpected turn of events. “Why the hell would she do that?”

 

“That’s what I thought! The thing is that she started saying that she was upset because she found out that when we broke up I dated a guy for a while and she for some reason was offended by that. She kept saying shit like I was dating a guy just to make fun of her and that she was going to take revenge for that and…”

 

“What kind of person does that? Is she insane or something?”

 

“Well, apparently she is. The thing is that I stayed there handcuffed for like 3 hours, I don’t know, and then I realized that I was handcuffed to a table so I moved the table and left”

 

Keith couldn’t help but laugh at that.

 

“Hey! You promised!”

 

“Ok, ok, not laughing”. He stopped laughing and nearly froze when Lance put his hands on both sides of Keith’s head and, after putting a lock of hair behind Keith’s right ear, he looked right into his eyes and resumed his tale.

 

“The thing is, my dear Keith, never, never, never… Trust me in this one. NEVER go on a date with an ex girlfriend or boyfriend or ex whatever, no matter how horny you are or how hot they are, it is always a bad idea. They say that you should learn from your mistakes, but apparently I’m making of all them myself so the rest of humanity don’t have to. You’re welcome.”

 

“Ok… thanks I guess?”

 

“And now”, he finally released Keith’s head, “I’m going to sleep like there’s no tomorrow. G’night!”. He waved and left like nothing had happened there.

 

_What the fuck has just happened._

 

He called for Pond with a with a whistle and started running again, but for the rest of the morning he couldn’t put away from his mind this weird conversation he’d just had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my tumblr if you want to check it out: [every--star--that--ever--was.tumblr.com](every--star--that--ever--was.tumblr.com)


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